|
'Les Disparus de Saint-Agil' was a French film released in 1938. Jean-Marie Berthiaum wrote the screenplay. The film was released in America under the title 'Boys' School'. While English films might have substantial released. Foreign language films rarely had important releases. Americans generally did not go to films not shot in English. The film was set in a boarding school, a French college. The term college is used differently in France than America. It does not mean a small university. In France and many other countries it means a school for for pre-teen and teen boys, and not just highschool boys like an American prep school. Almost all were Catholic schools which is why the school is named after a saint. The director was Christian Jaque. The film is a kind of mix of school amd mystery thriller film. The plot involves three boys at the college who form a secret society. They want to go to America. Then one of the boys see a man who seems to becoming out of a wall. He tells the others, but then disappears. Soon the second boy disappears. There is suspense as to whr\ether they have taken off fvor America or if something sinister is unfolding. At this point the art teacher is brutally murdered. The surviving third boy starts to investigate. The costuming seem realistic for France in the 1930s.
'Les Disparus de Saint-Agil' was a French film released in 1938. Jean-Marie Berthiaum wrote the screenplay. The film was released in America under the title 'Boys' School'. While English films might have substantial released. Foreign language films rarely had important releases. Americans generally did not go to films not shot in English. The director was Christian Jaque. The film is a kind of mix of school amd mystery thriller film.
The film was set in a boarding school, a French college. The term college is used differently in France than America. It does not mean a small university. In France and many other countries it means a school for for pre-teen and teen boys, and not just highschool boys like an American prep school. Almost all were Catholic schools which is why the school is named after a saint.
Erich von Stroheim plays Walter, the English teacher. The three boys are: Mathieu Sorgue (Jean Claudio), André Baume, and (Serge Grave), and Philippe Macroix (Marcel Mouloudji).
The plot involves three boys (Mathieu Sorgue No. 95, André Baume No. 7; and Philippe Macroy No. 22)
at the college who form a secret society--the Chick-Capon. They want to go to America--attracted by cowboys, dollars, and skyskrapers. Then one of the boys see a man who seems to becoming out of a wall. He tells the others, but then disappears. The boys are in their English lesson. The book is The Invisible Man. The boy wearing the open neck shirt is sent to the principle for talking. On his way back he disappears. This is because he saw something mysterious in the science room. The school Orchestra. The second boy to disappear does so after being sent to the director for misbehaving in the music lesson. There are no subtitles so we not sure what was going on but there is a gang of counterfitters and a secret passage. Soon the second boy disappears. There is suspense as to whether they have taken off fvor America or if something sinister is unfolding. At this point the art teacher is brutally murdered. The surviving third boy starts to investigate.
The costuming seem realistic for France in the 1930s. There is no school uniform. Many boys wear shirt pants and knee socks. Boys wear their belts over their sweaters. The boys in their dormitory are wearing night shirts rather than pajamas.
The image here is a French movie card--Les Fiches de Monsieur Cinema (Mr. Cinema Picture Cards). It was a series of cards made on films all around the world. They were rather like baseball cards, but you didn't get any bubble gum. Tthe Monsieur Cinema cards were released from 1976 up to at least 2009 and is the longest running series of cards in the world. The series covers almost all films ever made from all countries, covering probably over 15,000 different movies. These cards were released by mail order subscription only, never as a retail set, you had to remit payment each month to continue receiving new decks of cards in the mail. The back of this card has a write up about the film in French language and includes many specifications for the film including length, director, producer, actors, history of the film and much more. Most cards for films from after 1976 were released as the films were, so if the film was from 1980, a good chance the card was also originally released in 1980.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main alphabetical "Df-Dl"]
[Return to the Main alphabetical movie page]
[Return to the Main French movie page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[Essays]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
